In typical electronic information systems, data related to a particular entity to be managed is represented as a data object. Example data objects include, but are not limited to, an account, a claim, an invoice, a customer, an appointment, and a referral. Tracking the status of data objects within an information system is important for many reasons; including determining productivity of a worker who utilizes certain data objects, developing trends in the management of the electronic information system, following the life-cycle of a particular object, and taking actions when objects reach certain milestones. In some situations, including in the healthcare field, the creation of, or a change in, one data object may have a direct or indirect impact on the status of another data object. However, known existing systems only track the status of the object that was created or changed. It is believed that known systems do not track the status of a data object that is related to another data object that is created or changed.